1. Where
would you rather be right now?
My answer to this is always: on a beach, any beach.

2. Famous
person (dead or alive, real or fictional) you’d most like to go on a trip with:
Karl Pilkington [from the TV show An Idiot Abroad] because we have all been an idiot
abroad at some point!

3. Tourist
must-see you think is actually a “must skip”: Everyone asks what’s #1 on your
list of places you want to go before you die. But what’s your #3?
My wish list is in no particular order but around the #3 mark would probably be
one of the Central American countries, so I’m going to opt for Belize.

4. You’d
be mortified if people knew you did what when you travelled?For someone who spends most of their time
online, I’m very old fashioned when it comes to note taking and reading. I
carry a notebook and pen everywhere when travelling, and I lug printed
guidebooks and maps around – at least I never have to worry about them running
out of battery.

5. Your
most stranded, “oh-my-[deity]” travel moment:Arriving on a remote island in the
Yasawa’s, Fiji, and finding my room was actually a chicken shed, and there was
no way to get off the island that night.

6. Best
(or worst) person/people you’ve had to sit next to while travelling:An overweight lady in the middle seat on a
flight back from the US. Her arms dug into my ribs and flesh rested on my leg
all the way home. Needless to say it was a very uncomfortable experience for us
both.

7. Strangest
meal abroad:A misunderstanding of the meaning of “fruit
salad” in Thailand resulted in a bowl of mixed fruit accompanied by sweet corn
and salad cream. Gross!

8. If
someone was visiting your town, what’s the one thing you’d show them?A good British pub where they can enjoy
some pear cider and bangers and mash

9. Material
thing you miss the most when away from home:My bed. I can sleep just about anywhere but
am never happier than under my own feather duvet.

10. Most
unique souvenir:A monkey made from a coconut shell, which I
bought on a beach in India. I gave it to my brother when I got home and
realised it was hideous.

11. Best
celebrity encounter while travelling:Not sure if he counts as a celeb, but on a
recent visit to Rome I strolled into the Vatican and bumped into the Pope. He
was just finishing mass at St Peter’s Basilica and wheeled past me on some kind
of moving platform.

12. The
place you don’t want anyone to know about but are willing to divulge here:After spending the night with the chickens,
I discovered the Octopus Resort in the Yasawa Islands, Fiji. It’s a boutique
resort at budget prices and run by a friendly Australian couple – I would have
moved in if I could.

13. Lay
on us a priceless bit of travel advice or wisdom: Travel the way you want to. There is no
right or wrong way to explore a destination and no need for people to be put in
a box: backpacker, flashpacker, tourist, intrepid explorer, luxury lover – I’ve
been them all at some point and loved every experience.